Container House, Ringsend, Dublin

Exploring the potential of recycled shipping containers as a means of creating a low-cost family house, this project uses eleven standard length containers stacked on three levels. Large areas of glazing to the street side counter the spatial limitations of the container volume. Unusually, the main social space is up on the second level, so as to gain better views across the city and an unimpeded south-west aspect. Bedrooms are on the first floor level with home office and flexible spaces on the ground floor, offering an activated street frontage.

Dwellings based on shipping containers have become popular internationally in recent years because of the availability of containers in European ports due to the global transport economics. This house in Ringsend, which has received planning permission, may have implications in the context of current policies of encouraging long-term and family dwelling in the city. The modularity of the containers offers potential for flexible measures such as off-site construction and incremental/ phased assembly.